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Life sentences sought for Palestinian convicted of killing three Israelis

Palestinian Omar al-Abed has been handed a life sentence after being convicted of murdering three Israelis at a West Bank settlement.

A poster bearing the picture of 19-year-old Palestinian attacker, Omar al-Abed, who killed three Jewish residents of a nearby Israeli settlement, hangs outside his family home after it was demolished by Israeli authorities in the village of Kobar, near Ra

A poster bearing the picture of Palestinian attacker Omar al-Abed who killed three Jewish residents, hangs outside his family home in the West Bank. Source: Getty Images

A life sentence has been handed down to a Palestinian convicted of murdering three Israelis at a West Bank settlement.

Omar al-Abed, 20, was found guilty by the court at Ofer near Ramallah in the West Bank of the premeditated killing of three members of the Solomon family in their home on July 21.

The military prosecutor has asked that he be given four life terms. Sentence will be handed down later.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman had both called for the death penalty in the case.

FILE; Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli soldiers during their operation to search and measure the family house of Omar al-Abed.
FILE; Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli soldiers during their operation to search and measure the family house of Omar al-Abed. Source: AAP

Abed entered a house in the settlement of Neve Tzuf and killed the three civilians with a knife and wounded a fourth before being shot by a neighbour who had heard the victims' cries.

Abed was also found guilty of the attempted murder of seven people, all family members in the house at the time of the attack.

His father, mother, an uncle and two brothers were sentenced in August to jail terms of between one month and eight months for not preventing Abed's actions.

On August 16, the Israeli military demolished the Abed family home in the village of Kobar near Ramallah.

In a Facebook post before carrying out his attack, Abed expressed his resentment of Israeli actions against the Palestinians and over the disputed Haram al-Sharif mosque compound in east Jerusalem.

The compound, the third holiest site for Muslims, is also revered by the Jews as the Temple Mount.

Abed's July 21 attack came at a time of high tensions over the sensitive compound.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP, SBS



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